Burial vault



BURIAL VAULT Filed May 27, 1929 ATTO NEY Patented Jan. 6, 191551 i PATENT OFFICE I eaovnn w. GILLELAND, or rAR soNsnANsAs URIAL VAULT Application filed May 27,

This invention relates to burialvaults of that class knownas surface vaults or individ ual mausoleums and functioning both .as a

casket: container andiasa marker or head stone. Vaults of the character indioatedare now being Widely employed as they afford not only better protection against vandalism but also against ravages by the elements,'and preserve the body, if properlyembalmed, 5 againstdisintegration ,for an indefinite ope riod. 1 It has been found that vaults of the charac ter under considerationare 'more efiicient in their preservative action, if the air in the i5 casket chamber is kept dry, and in accomplishing this result resort has'been' had to the provision of a dead air-chamben overlying the casket chamber.;.; The object of this .inventionis to utilize the principle involved 2; in the last mentioned construction and'to make provision for ciroulation of air between; the two chambers, to remove the moist -air from the casketchamberto the overlying chamber, and to furthermore provide a more effcetive seal between the body ofithe vault and the cover or top plate thereof. To this end, the nvention consistsnr certain novel and useful features of construction as hereinafter described and: claimed andv in a order that it may be 'fullyunderstood, refer-' ence is to be had-to theaccompanying draw ing, inwhich; 5 1 p 3 'Figure 1 is a view partly in elevation and partly in central longitudinal section" of a vault embodying the invention.

. Figure 2 is a view partly in end elevation and partlyin cross-section. i Figure .3 isia perspective view, on a reduced scale, ofthe completed vault, Referring to the drawing in detaih-l indi cates the body, portionwhielrpreferably is of size tocontain a plurality of sizes of caskets, and is providedat a suitable height with internal upwardly-facing shoulders. 2 along the sides, and ends, and at; a suitableheight above said shoulders, is provided with an internal substantially V shaped" ann'ular groove 3, thebottom of which slopes down-i wardlyand outwardly. j .A sealing member 4: providing a chamber qThe cover or cap plate llIcorresponds in V contour and exterior d mensions to the body by providing the upper edge of the body por-' 1929. Serial No. 366,412.

5, and preferably of the same configuration but shorter and narrower than the body portion, is fitted centrally within the latter and ;is provided with marginal base flanges 6 to overlie and rest upon the shoulders 2, and sald flanges are. preferably formed in their upper sides with grooves 7. Form. plates 8 of Inetal'are anchored at their lower ends in the flanges 6 inward of the grooves 7, saidfplates being off-set inwardly at 9 to 63 widen the space between them and the surrounding walls. of the body portion, 7 The plates project upward to approximately the plane of the upper edge of the body portion,

member 4, and to insure more uniform ex: T

pansion and. contraction of member 4, the flanges 10 are preferably perforated at 10 to establish communication between the upper and lower parts of the dead air chamber.

tending downwardly and inwardly;

The members 1, 4 and 11,"are of molded concrete made in suitable forms, and the annular space within the body portion and surrounding the form plates 9 is filled with a proper cementitious material as at 14, this material being deposited or poured before the top plate or cover is placed in position, and 7 being ofsuch consistency that it. shallenter and fill the grooves 3 and 13, and serve as means or; lockingjthe cap in place. The joint between theupper. edges, of the body portion, which preferably slopes downwardly and outwardly slightly, is also filled by suitable cementitious material for the par-1 pose of sealing said oint against the entrance I ofrwater, the joint being made more effective loo ' tion and the lower edge of the overlying portion of the cap or cover, with grooves 15 and 16, which not only cooperate in excluding water but provide an interlocked relation through the instrumentality of the jointfilling material, against longitudinal or lateral shiftin of the ca 3 or cover with re b spect to the body portion. t will be noted that by the use of the grooves 3 and 13 and the filling therein, that the joint betweenthe filling material and the surrounding wall and surrounded flanges 12, will guard against'the seepage of water downward within the body portion more effectively by reason of the fact that if water should seep into said grooves, it wouldhave to rise until it cleared the upper edges of the inclined bottoms ofsuch grooves before it c'ould pass further downward.

The cover is '-preferably hollowed out at its under side at 17 to increase the capacity of the air, space above member 4, and 'for' aesthetic appeal and water draina e purposes 7 the upper-surface of the majorgortion of the cap or cover is arched or rounded as at 18'. Att-he head end, the cover. or cap is provided with pillow block 19 wherein is moulded a suitable metal or other inscription plate 20 to bear the name, ageand other information relating to the deceased to be enclosed within the mausoleum.

As heretofore adverted to it is very desirable to eifect the removal of'moisture exuding from the body enclosed within a casket placed within the lower or casket chamber, as tend- 1 ing, provided the body is properly eml'iahned,

toward preservingit in a natural state for an indefinite period. To accomplish this, means'are provided for etfecting an'air circulation within the casket chamber and the chamber of member As showna tube 21 is molded within the member at so as to communicate at its lower end with the upper part of the'body portion chamber and' at its upper 7 end with the upper portion of the chamber of through tube 21 suitable absorbent,such as calciuiiichloride, is provided in the chamber of member land to guard againstlhis clogging the perforations offpipe thelatter is enclosedwithin. ascreenQl,

As ten'iperature changes occur air will circulateup through tube 21 "and the air in chamber 5, as it cools Wlll pass downthrough tube 22 and its extension 23into the casket chamber, the rising air carrying off moisture from the last-named; chamber, which mo'isv-w portionbeing identified long period of time, that the interiors were,

found perfectly dry, and that bodies exhumed after a period of several years were found in an apparently perfect state of preservation. It has also been found that the heaving of the ground due to atmospheric changes has left the mausoleum in perfeet condition and that they do not crack under extremes of freezing temperatures, it being understoodofv coin-'sc that the parts are reinforced with woven wire or metal rods to give them proper tensile strength, which reinforcements have not been shown, as conventional in concrete work and hence not involving invention. I

Fromthe above description, itwill be apparentthat I have produced a burial vault possessing the features of advantage set forth as desirable in the statement of the objects of the invention, and which is susceptible of modification in various particulars within the principle of construction involved and the I claim:

1. A burial vault comprising a hollow body portion having internal upwardly-facing shoulders, a hollow intermediate portion within and spaced from the walls of the body portion and provided with outwardly-projecting base flanges resting on said shoulders, upright form plates enclosing and spaced from the intermediate portion and anchored thereto, a cover resting on the base portion and spaced from theintermedia-te portion and provided with a continuous tongue depending into the body *portionintermediate the walls thereof and said form plates, and a cementitious filling upon the flanges of. the intermediate portion and between the form plates and the walls of the base portion and forming a bed receiving said tongues of the cover. i

spirit and scope of the appended claims' 2. A burial vault comprising a, hollow body 7 portion having internal upwardly-facing shoulders, a hollowdntermediate portion within and spaced from the walls of the body portion and provided with outwardly-projecting base flanges resting on said shoulders. upright uform plates enclosmg and spaced from the intermediate portion and anchored thereto, a cover resting, on; the base portion andspaced from the-intermediateportion and provided with continuous tongue de o pendinginto the body portion intermediate the walls thereof and said formplates, and a cementitiousfilling upon. the flanges of the intermediate portion and between the for-n1 plates and the wallsof thebase'portiou and forming a bed receiving said tongues of the cover; the opposing faces of the tongue and base portion walls having grooves which receive parts of said filling, the bottoms of said grooves sloping downwardly and inwardly and downwardly and outwardly respectively.

3. A burial vault comprising a hollow body portion having internal upwardly-facing shoulders, a hollow intermediate portion within and spaced from the walls ofthe body portion and provided with outwardly-projecting base flanges resting on said shoulders, upright form plates enclosing and spaced from the intermediate portion and an chored thereto, a cover resting on the base portion and spaced from the intermediate portion and provided with a continuous tongue depending into the body portion intermediate the walls thereof and said form plates, and a cementitious filling-upon the flanges of the intermediate portion and between the form plates and the walls of the base portion and forming a bed receiving said tongues of the cover; the form plates terminating in flanges sloping downwardly V and inwardly to the upper corners of'the' walls of the intermediate portion.

4. A burial vault comprising a body 'por tion having a casket chamber, a cover resting upon and for sealing engagement with the body portion, and provided with a continuous tongue depending within and spaced from the upper part of the body portion an intermediate hollow portion within the body portion and below and spaced from the cover and provided with base flanges, form plates anchored to the flanges of the intermediate portion and spaced from the ends and sides thereof, and provided with perforated top flanges sloping downward and inward to the intermediate portion, and CGIDGIllZltlOllS material filling the space between the walls of 7 the body portion and the form plates.

5. In a burial vault having a casket cham-- 7 her, an intermediate hollow portion closing the casket ohamber,.and a cover above and spaced from the intermediate portion, an air tubecommunicating with the upper parts of the casket chamber and the chamber of the intermediate portion, and a tube communicating with the lower parts of said chambers.

6. In a burial vault, a hollow base portion, a cover therefor, an intermediate portion closing the chamber of the base portion below the cover, the intermediate portion having'an air chamber, and tubes respectively connecting the upper portions and the lower portions of the chambers of the base portions and intermedlate portion.

In testimony whereof I affix my slgnature.

GROVER W. GILLELAND. 

